


An Unexpected Horde

by Centurion_Titus



Category: Skulduggery Pleasant - Derek Landy
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-21
Updated: 2017-11-21
Packaged: 2019-02-05 02:47:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,258
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12785298
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Centurion_Titus/pseuds/Centurion_Titus





	An Unexpected Horde

The sun was setting. Its last rays reflecting off the broken window panes. A mass of bodies surrounded the building, hammering on the doors and attempting to climb through the windows.

One floor above stood two young men. One dressed all in black, the other in a pair of jeans, combat boots and a long over coat. Their loud arguing voices could be heard throughout the deserted building. 

“We have no signal and you had to lead us right into a horde of zombies. You don't have to press every single symbol you see.” roared Black Phoenix. The shadows all around his gloves sharpened with his anger.

“How was I supposed to know that symbol was a security one which would awaken a horde of zombies.” replied Gale Rivers.

“For all you know the symbol would have killed you out right.”

“Well I'm still here and we have some new friends.”chucked Gale. 

“New Friends?! NEW FRIENDS!! These flesh eating zombies are friends? Why don't you go and give them a big hug and see what happens.”

“We aren't at that level of friendship just yet Phoenix. It takes time to build it.”

“You got us into this mess so you are going to get us out of it. Come on Mr Brainey we don't have all day.”

“Well we are going to phone for help.”, Gale looked down at his phone and like all sorcerers he had boosted it with a symbol. “Oh. We may have a bigger problem. We don't have signal.” Gale scratched his head. “Umm. I have an idea. I throw you to the zombies and make my escape.”

Phoenix turned to Gale and punched him right in the jaw. Gale staggered back clasping his jaw. “Any more stupid ideas, Gale? Good. Now the only way out is to kill all these zombies. They are stupid. We can kill them all.”

It was at that moment they heard a crashing sound. The zombies had broken through the door and had fallen through the windows. The two men rushed to the metal stairs they had run up only a few minutes before.

The zombies were stumbling their way towards Gale and Phoenix, their stench was overpowering and Gale began to wretch. 

Before the first zombie even reached the foot of the stairs, shards of darkness slammed into it and ripped it apart. Phoenix began to throw more darkness. It wasn't always as effective as the first attack, but zombies began to fall, some beheaded, some ripped into small parts others missing limbs. 

Gale finally pulled himself together and began to throw blue streams of energy into the zombies. Holes burned through their limbs and chests, but that didn't stop them. Only decapitation or destruction of their brains would do. 

Bodies began to pile up, providing some obstacles for the zombies, yet they kept coming. Phoenix and Gale could only kill the zombies so fast. Slowly the two men were forced back up the stairs as the sheer number of zombies kept up their attack. Despite being forced back the zombies were still falling, yet it was taking its toll.

Using magic was like doing any other physical activity and Gale began to tire. Phoenix in contrast seem unaffected for he was using necromancy. Death magic. The zombies only heightened his power. Gale stumbled on the stairs.

“Get up!”, yelled Phoenix.”Fall back now!”

Gale scrabbled to his feet and clambered up the last few steps and headed for the next stair case. Phoenix drew the shadows into his gloves. With a huge grunt he unleashed a huge wave of shadows which sent zombie stumbling. A few were killed out right but most were just knocked over.

Just like Gale, Phoenix ran up the last few stairs and headed for where Gale stood above him. Phoenix stood panting whilst Gale watched the zombies struggle up the stairs. 

“We can't kill them all. There are just too many of them for us. They're just going to kill us all for nothing. What were we even doing here?” asked Gale

“We were just supposed to spend the night here and move out in the morning to the Sanctuary, but you and your stupidity meant we had to fight for out lives. Down stairs is filled with zombies and the symbol is down there as well. Why don't we try the good old fashioned turn it off and on again.”

“Slight problem, Phoenix. How the hell are we supposed to get down there. You can barely shadow walk a metre. That symbol is at least ten probably more like twenty, yet it is the only option we have. You have to shadow walk to it.”

“No way. All that will happen is that I will get torn to shreds.”

“You die either way. Just do it.”

Phoenix paced up and down, the din of the zombies was getting louder as they worked their way up to the two men. 

“Fine, I'll do it, but it is probably a lost cause.”

Waving his hands, a wall of shadows appeared before Phoenix. He stepped into it and disappeared. Gale held his breath and waited.

A minute or so later, Phoenix appeared out of the shadows and came crashing into the waiting Gale. 

“Did it work?” asked Gale.

“Take a look for yourself.”

Gale rushed to the stairs and saw the zombies still shambling towards him. 

“What the hell happened?”

“Do you know how many times I hit that symbol. All the ways I hit it and nothing happened. It continues to glow. We are well and truly screwed.”

“We have to go up again, it is the only way. You could get yourself out of this mess, but as Sanctuary operatives, we can't just leave a horde of zombies here. So either run or stay and we go down fighting.”

“You think I would leave you. I could have left you right at the start but I didn't. I stayed and fought.”

At that point a zombie came stumbling up the stairs. Gale turned and unleashed a stream of energy into it. It went down, but more soon appeared. The two sorcerers were once more fighting zombies side by side. Streams of darkness and blue energy cutting into them. 

Yet again the sheer number of zombies forced the two men back towards the last set of metal stairs. Racing up them they found themselves on a small ledge. They knew it was the end of the line. There was no escape for them. 

Just as the two men prepared themselves to die, Gale saw another small symbol carved onto the wall. 

“Phoenix, look.”

Phoenix turned and saw the small carved symbol. He reached for it but Gale battered his hand aside. 

“I'm touching it for I got us into this mess. No ifs and no buts.”

Before Phoenix could stop him, Gale reached out gently touched the symbol. His whole bodied locked and he began to shake. Gale began to thrash about, causing Phoenix to duck out of the way. Suddenly it stopped and Gale dropped to the floor. Rushing to him Phoenix felt for a pulse. He had one but it was faint. 

In a hoarse whisper Gale asked, “Did it do anything?”

“I don't know.”

Phoenix leapt to his feet and raced to the edge and peered downwards. All he saw was bodies. Nothing was moving at all. 

“It worked.” shouted Phoenix.

Gale began to chuckle and managed to gasp out the words, “I ain't touching any more symbols!”


End file.
